With the news of Alim McNeill headed to injured reserve, the Lions now have a huge void to fill along the interior of the defensive line.
The big-bodied McNeill, in his third NFL season, was enjoying a breakout campaign prior to suffering a knee sprain Sunday in New Orleans.
In 12 games this year, the 23-year-old had recorded a career-best five sacks and nine quarterback hits, and had earned an impressive 88.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. He now has to sit out at least the next four games while on injured reserve.
With how well McNeill was playing, it is undoubtedly going to be hard to replicate the production of the N.C. State product. Over the next four weeks, expect the Lions to rely on multiple defensive linemen to make up for his absence.
Of the four remaining defensive tackles on Detroit's active roster – which includes fellow starter Benito Jones and reserves Levi Onwuzurike, Isaiah Buggs and Brodric Martin – Onwuzurike should be in store for the biggest uptick in snaps.
Onwuzurike, as the lone other 3-technique tackle on the Lions’ present roster, is the most natural fit to slide in for McNeill – and alongside Jones – on the interior of the line.
Through two-and-a-half seasons, Onwuzurike has been anything but “Mr. Reliable,” though. He's struggled with staying healthy – missed the entire 2022 campaign – and has logged just 38 tackles, including only one sack, in 22 career games. And, in six games this year, he's amassed a measly three total tackles.
Because of the inconsistent nature of his play, expect Detroit to also feed snaps to John Cominsky and Josh Paschal in place of McNeill.
Cominsky, who has played in all 12 games this season, is the most versatile lineman that the Lions have today. Since joining Detroit in 2022, he's played all over the defensive line, including on the inside.
So, if any Lions defensive lineman were going to make the switch from playing outside to inside and this late in the year, I would put my money on the “Swiss-Army knife” himself, Cominsky.
In the interim, I could also see Detroit giving additional reps to Quinton Bohanna – who is out of roster elevations after suiting up for each of the team's last three games – and recent practice-squad acquisition Tyson Alualu.
Alualu, who was signed to the Lions’ practice squad Tuesday, has accumulated 416 total tackles in 13 NFL seasons, but hasn't logged a single snap since 2022.
I don't envision any of the above names coming close to replacing the production of McNeill. Yet, at this juncture, they're the best options to make up for his sizable impact along the interior of the defensive line.
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